Object determining device and imaging apparatus

• US 7,526,193 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2004
• Issued: 04/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Inventors: Imae, Fumikazu, Yamamoto, Masashi, Minato, Yoshihisa, Tsuyuguchi, Takuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Koval; Melissa J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Strieb; Michael A
• Application Number:
  US10/564,392
• Publication Number:
  US 20070110422A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,749 Days
• Field of Search: 382/115, 382/118, 382/104, 603/82, 605/50, 396/123
• US Class Current: 396/123
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 13/36 Autofocus systems
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 7/091 Digital circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/165 using facial parts and geometric relationships
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/70 Circuitry for compensating brightness variation in the scene

Abstract

Face detection is executed only on an image imaged based on an arbitrary (predetermined) focal point information defined in advance. In face detection, the face of a person is detected based on a relative value of statistics in a plurality of characteristic regions produced by contour or parts of the face of the person. Thus, even if the face in the image used for face detection is blurred, the statistics in a certain region can be acquired, and thus such face is detectable. Therefore, the primary subject to be focused can be rapidly detected without performing focal point control at a stage of preliminary imaging in the imaging apparatus.

Claims

1. An object determining device comprising:

a detecting part for detecting a face of a person from an input image;

a determining part for determining, when a plurality of faces of people are detected by the detecting part, a face to be focused and/or subject on which to perform exposure control when performing imaging from the plurality of faces of people based on positions of the plurality of faces of people;

a center determining portion for determining a center of the positions of the plurality of faces of people based on the positions of the plurality of faces of people; and

a face determining portion for determining a target face based on the position of the center.

3. The object determining device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the center determining portion determines a center of a polygon circumscribing the positions of the plurality of faces of people as the center.

4. The object determining device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the center determining portion determines a barycenter of the positions of the plurality of faces of people as the center.

5. The object determining device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the face determining portion determines the face of a person positioned closest to the center as the target face.

6. The object determining device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the face determining portion determines the target face according to a predetermined reference from faces positioned within a predetermined distance from the center.

7. The object determining device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the determining part determines a face positioned the lowest of the plurality of faces of people as the target face.

10. The object determining device according to claim 1, 2, 8 or 9, further comprising:

a classifying part for classifying, when a plurality of faces of people are detected by the detecting part, the plurality of detected faces of people into a plurality of clusters based on respective positions; and

a cluster determining part for determining a selected cluster to determine the target face from the plurality of clusters;

wherein

the determining part determines the target face based on a face of a person included in the selected cluster.

11. The object determining device according to claim 1, 2, 8 or 9, further comprising a displaying section for displaying the face of a person determined by the determining part distinctly from other faces.

2. An object determining device comprising:

a frame acquiring section for acquiring an image of a predetermined frame as an image to be processed from an input time-series image including a plurality of frames;

a detecting part for detecting a face of a person from the image to be processed;

a determining part for determining, when a plurality of faces of people are detected by the detecting part, a face to be focused and/or subject on which to perform exposure control when performing imaging from the plurality of faces of people based on positions of the plurality of faces of people;

a center determining portion for determining a center of the positions of the plurality of faces of people based on the positions of the plurality of faces of people; and

a face determining portion for determining a target face based on the position of the center.

8. An object determining device comprising:

a detecting part for detecting a face of a person from an input image; and

a determining part for determining, when a plurality of faces of people are detected by the detecting section, a face of a person positioned in the middle, with the number of detected faces as a reference, as a face to be focused and/or subject on which to perform exposure control when performing imaging.

9. An object determining device comprising:

a frame acquiring section for acquiring an image of a predetermined frame as an image to be processed from an input time-series image including a plurality of frames;

a detecting part for detecting a face of a person from the image to be processed; and

a determining part for determining, when a plurality of faces of people are detected by the detecting part, a face of a person positioned in the middle, with the number of detected faces as a reference, as the face to be focused and/or face on which to perform exposure control when performing imaging.

12. A computer readable medium containing a program for an information processing device, said program when executed by the processing device causes the processing device to perform a method comprising the steps of:

detecting a face of a person from an input image;

determining, when a plurality of faces of people are detected, a face to be focused and/or face on which to perform exposure control when performing imaging from a plurality of faces of people based on positions of the plurality of faces of people;

determining a center of the positions of the plurality of faces of people based on the positions of the plurality of faces of people; and

determining a target face based on the position of the center.

13. A computer readable medium containing a program for an information processing device, said program when executed by the processing device causes the processing device to perform a method comprising the steps of:

detecting a face of a person from an input image; and

determining, when a plurality of faces of people are detected, a face of a person positioned in the middle, with the number of detected faces as a reference, as a face to be focused and/or face on which to perform exposure control when performing imaging.

14. An object determining device comprising:

a face detecting part for detecting, from an image imaged based on arbitrary focal point information as an image to be processed, a face of a person based on a relative value of statistics in a plurality of characteristic regions produced by contour or parts of a face of a person from the image to be processed; and

a determining part for determining a subject to be focused and/or subject on which to perform exposure control when performing imaging based on the face detected by the face detecting part,

wherein when a plurality of faces of people are detected by the face detecting part, the determining part determines a face of a person positioned in the middle, with the number of detected faces as a reference, as the face to be focused and/or face on which to perform exposure control when performing imaging.

15. An object determining device comprising:

a frame acquiring part for acquiring an image of a predetermined frame as an image to be processed from a time-series image including a plurality of frames imaged based on arbitrary focal point information;

a face detecting part for detecting a face of a person based on a relative value of statistics in a plurality of characteristic regions produced by contour or parts of a face of a person from the image to be processed; and

a determining part for determining a subject to be focused and/or subject on which to perform exposure control when performing imaging based on the face detected by the face detecting part,

wherein when a plurality of faces of people are detected by the face detecting part, the determining part determines a face of a person positioned in the middle, with the number of detected faces as a reference, as the face to be focused and/or face on which to perform exposure control when performing imaging.

16. A computer readable medium containing a program for an information processing device, said program when executed by the processing device causes the processing device to perform a method comprising the steps of:

acquiring an image of a predetermined frame as an image to be processed from an input time-series image including a plurality of frames;

detecting a face of a person from the image to be processed;

determining, when a plurality of faces of people are detected, a face to be focused and/or subject on which to perform exposure control when performing imaging from the plurality of faces of people based on positions of the plurality of faces of people;

determining a center of the positions of the plurality of faces of people based on the positions of the plurality of faces of people; and

determining a target face based on the position of the center.

17. A computer readable medium containing a program for an information processing device, said program when executed by the processing device causes the processing device to perform a method comprising the steps of:

detecting a face of a person from an input image; and

determining, when a plurality of faces of people are detected, a face of a person positioned in the middle, with the number of detected faces as a reference, as a face to be focused and/or subject on which to perform exposure control when performing imaging.

18. A computer readable medium containing a program for an information processing device, said program when executed by the processing device causes the processing device to perform a method comprising the steps of:

acquiring an image of a predetermined frame as an image to be processed from an input time-series image including a plurality of frames;

detecting a face of a person from the image to be processed; and

determining, when a plurality of faces of people are detected, a face of a person positioned in the middle, with the number of detected faces as a reference, as the face to be focused and/or face on which to perform exposure control when performing imaging.

19. A computer readable medium containing a program for an information processing device, said program when executed by the processing device causes the processing device to perform a method comprising the steps of:

acquiring an image of a predetermined frame as an image to be processed from a time-series image including a plurality of frames imaged based on arbitrary focal point information;

detecting a face of a person based on a relative value of statistics in a plurality of characteristic regions produced by contour or parts of a face of a person from the image to be processed; and

determining a subject to be focused and/or subject on which to perform exposure control when performing imaging based on the detected face,

wherein when a plurality of faces of people are detected, the determining step determines a face of a person positioned in the middle, with the number of detected faces as a reference, as the face to be focused and/or face on which to perform exposure control when performing imaging.